Buried
by Red Tigress
Summary: Ronon is subjected to one of his worst fears offworld. Rononwhump, team angst. Sorry, Discontinued until further notice.


Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or its spin-offs, and am making no profit from this endeavor.

Summary: Ronon is subjected to one of his worst fears off-world. Ronon-whump, team angst.

Categories: Angst/Hurt/Comfort

Pairings: None

Spoilers: For season 4 up through Doppelganger

A/N: I love Ronon. I'm a total fan of Ronon-whump. Frankly, there's not enough out there. So this is just a quick ficlet, sort of a follow up to episode 404, Doppelganger, just capitalizing on one of Ronon's fears. Some emotional angst for Rodney, though. I love the whole Ronon-Rodney dynamic, because they're just so different, it makes for a really interesting relationship and friendship. I also presume Dr. Keller has been cleared to go into the field, since there is a later episode featuring her off-world.

SGA

Ronon sighed as he listened to Dr. Rodney McKay toil on. He didn't mind that he had nothing to do. Actually, it made for a nice change from the things they usually had to endure. But he knew next to nothing about science, so he had no idea how close it was to McKay finish whatever the heck he was doing.

They had arrived at the planet in the morning, as another team had found interesting energy readings and felt someone of a higher level of science should check it out. Naturally, McKay volunteered himself. And his team without their consent.

The team had used the trip as somewhat of an exploratory mission. They had drawn straws to see who would "baby-sit" McKay as we went around inspecting, and the other two would explore the ruins in depth. Ronon had drawn the short straw.

"Come over here and make yourself useful, will you? I need some light." Ronon sighed again and moved inside a wide archway into a small alcove inside. The room wasn't tiny, and since it was in a shadier part under the trees, not much light broke through. The room itself was about the size of the Gateroom on Atlantis. Ronon stood over McKay with a flashlight as the scientist turned knobs on a console device currently connected to his tablet. "Thank you." Well, that was something. At least McKay remembered to thank him.

"So what does it do?" Ronon asked.

McKay turned with an exasperated look on his face. "I don't know yet, I've only been looking at it 5 minutes." He turned back to the console.

"Sorry, thought you were a genius." Ronon smirked. Ronon enjoyed the playful teasing of McKay, and he was sure on some level McKay did too. Ronon imagined the teasing he got as a kid probably wasn't too playful. It wouldn't have been on Sateda, anyway.

"Yes, well, even geniuses can't look at everything and instantly know what it is," defended McKay, not looking up from his work.

Just then, a small rumbling sounded, and small pebbles dislodged themselves from the area around the entrance, falling to the ground with a soft "plop!" as they landed on the moist soil. McKay froze. "Ooooohhhhh, please don't be what I think you are…" he said looking around.

Their radios chirped. "McKay? Ronon? Did you guys feel that?" Sheppard sounded in their ears.

"Yes, colonel, we did. And as extremely uneasy as that makes me, I still haven't figured out what the device is that was sending off energy readings, so unless there's another one I'm staying right here." Ronon was impressed with McKay's resolve, but said nothing.

"McKay, where are you?"

"A cave." Ronon answered for him. McKay shot him a look that said he was not happy about being given up so easily.

"What? McKay, get out of their right now. This investigation is on hold until we can send a team out here to get some seismic readings." Sheppard said irritably.

"Colonel, the ancient database didn't say anything about this planet being susceptible to earthquakes."

"The ancient database didn't say anything about this planet at all, Rodney!" Sheppard snapped. "Now I don't care what you've found, I want you guys to leave right-"

Sheppard didn't finish his sentence, as another, stronger quake rocked the ground violently. Things were starting to fall from the ceiling in sizable chunks now, and quickly as the tremors only increased.

"MOVE!" Ronon shouted, pushing McKay towards the door. It was still along way off, and in his gut Ronon knew they wouldn't make it before the violent tremors brought the place down completely. With only a few meters to go until freedom, Ronon grabbed McKay's vest, and with a yelp from the scientist swung him around and threw him outside before a rock the size of a skull hit him on the head and he fell to the ground, darkness taking him.

SGA

McKay landed hard outside the cave, and wheezed for a moment, before rolling over to look behind him. His eyes widened at the collapsed rubble in the cave entrance. "Oh no…" He tapped his ear. "Sheppard, I need help! Ronon got buried! I don't…" he started breathing quickly, and scampered over to rocks starting to haul them aside.

Apparently Sheppard understood the message. "We'll be right there." McKay didn't hear him as all he could focus on was the mound of rocks in front of him.

"Ronon! Answer me! I know I called you a caveman before, but this is ridiculous! Please!" He kept digging.

SGA

Ronon could feel the tendrils of darkness slowly start to relinquish their hold on him. Little by little he became aware of pain escalating throughout his body. That was enough to bring him out of his stupor. Whatever had happened to him, he shouldn't be in this much pain. He opened his eyes, but immediately shut them again as dirt poured into them. He hissed in pain. Judging by the dirt in his eyes, he was on his back. Wait, dirt? The panic that he was usually so good at keeping under control began to rise quickly. He tried to move his arms, and found that he could a little bit, but not more than a few inches to either side before they hit debris. He tried to move his legs as well. His right one was completely numb, and the left felt like it was pinned under another large rock, along with part of his hip. The panic continued to rise. He was going to suffocate in here!

He began clawing furiously at anything he cold reach with his arms. His fingers only hit dirt and rocks, but he continued anyway. He also began moving his shoulders back and forth. Dirt started to trickle into his nose. He breathed out furiously with a grunt that bordered on a sound of panic. He was going to die in here! No chance to fight back, but a slow, painful, suffocating death.

He began to struggle harder, and banged his temple on a rock next to him. He was dazed for a moment, and began breathing harshly. So harshly, he was nearly hyperventilating. Only one thought ran through his mind. He was going to die in the ground.

SGA

Sheppard and Teyla ran up to where McKay was digging through the rubble at the cave entrance. They didn't stop to ask questions, just got in and starting digging and removing rubble with him.

"Ronon! Can you hear us? If you can hear us, we'll have you out soon!" Teyla called, not being able to stand the silence of her companions any longer. She lifted another rock, and saw a dark and dirty, but frantic wriggling hand. "I've found him! Hang on Ronon, we almost have you out!" However, the hand acted like it didn't hear her, and continued to grasp the dirt and small rocks around it wildly, leaving bloody hand prints in the space around it.

John moved to wear he figured Ronon's head must be, and started pushing rocks off the shrinking pile that covered his teammate. Rodney moved to help, and heard faint gasping noises under the rubble. "We have to hurry," he said to John. "I…I think he's afraid of being underground…and he might be hyperventilating." Rodney pushed aside the dark thoughts of how that was probably not the only thing wrong.

John lifted another rock to uncover dirty, bloody dreadlocks. He heaved another rock off the pile to find Ronon's face, the Satedan's eyes squeezed shut from the sunlight and dirt. Rodney was right, he was hyperventilating, and was loosing breath fast as a result of the rocks that still pined his torso. John stopped his digging to put his hands on both sides of Ronon's face, gripping firmly but not harshly.

"Ronon." He said in his most commanding voice. "We're going to get you out of here soon, but you need to remain calm, stop struggling, and breathe deeply." Ronon blinked rapidly, trying to get the dirt and blood out of his wide eyes, but he was still unseeing. "Just hang in there," John said calmly. Ronon didn't give any discernable response. He looked at his two other teammates. Rodney and Teyla had cleared away most of the debris on his arms and torso, and were moving to his legs.

Ronon still hadn't said a word, and that worried John. Granted, he wasn't the talkative type, but he was always first to give assurances that he was okay, or at least that he could manage.

A mumbled "Oh God," from Rodney broke John's attention away from Ronon's eyes. He looked down where Rodney had uncovered the upper half of Ronon's right leg. His pants were almost black with blood that was still continuing to flow at an unrelenting pace, from what John could tell. Judging from the bloody, pointed rock now laying next to Rodney, it looked like Ronon's thigh had been impaled on it. Rodney looked at John. "I…I…I didn't realize the rock was _in_ his leg, I just…I just…"

Teyla leaned over and grabbed Rodney's wrist. "It's ok, just stop the bleeding Rodney." she said. The use of his name seemed to jar Rodney out of his trance, and he wadded up his coat and pressed down on Ronon's leg while Teyla dug out bandages from her vest. Ronon groaned loudly, refocusing John's attention.

John looked down to see Ronon on the verge of passing out. His eyes had gone from wide to heavily lidded and his face had taken on a slack expression. But miraculously he didn't. He turned to his teammates. "There's no way we can carry him out of here, not like this." John knew he was strong, as were the others, but Ronon was a large man, and at this point a heavily bleeding one. Trying to carry him back to the gate themselves would only make it worse. "Teyla, the gate's not far. I need you to run there and call for medical assistance in a jumper. There's enough space for them to land, I think."

She nodded and stood up. "I will be back shortly." She then took off in the direction of the gate.

Rodney had tied the bandages around his coat on Ronon's leg to keep the jacket in place. He was now adding additional gauze and bandages. Sheppard saw the look on his face. A look of mostly fear, but it was obvious guilt plagued it as well. "Rodney, it's not your fault."

Rodney looked up like a dear in headlights. "But…but…but I was the one that didn't want to leave after the first one. I made him stay. I didn't listen to you…and now…and now…" He looked back down at Ronon's leg desperately.

"Rodney, he's gonna be fine, but I need you to focus." John didn't know that Ronon was going to be fine, but he had to assume it. For all their sakes. The Runner still hadn't uttered a word, though John attributed most of that to the fact that he was half-conscious.

_Of course,_ a voice said in his head, _that's never stopped him before_.

John heard the distant whine of a jumper that was growing closer. Teyla's voice came over the comm. "Colonel, we are almost to your location. I have already informed Dr. Keller of Ronon's condition." Once again, John was ever thankful Teyla could keep a cool head in times of crisis.

The jumper floated down, and Teyla rushed out with Dr. Keller, a med-team, and a gurney. Rodney let one of the medics take over keeping pressure on Ronon's wound, and he stepped back to where John and Teyla were waiting. They watched as Ronon was lifted onto a gurney and wheeled into the back of the jumper, and lifted off. The three of them followed on foot.

_TBC…_


End file.
